Trical



(No Model.)

LE ROY S. WHITE.

ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET.

Patented June 2, 1891.

fi z fnesses."

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEROY S. WHITE, OF WVATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELEC- TRICALAPPLIANCE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC-LAMP SOCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,455, dated June 2,1891.

Application filed April 1, 1891.

. electric-lamp sockets for the attachment of electric lamps to thewires, so that the current of electricity may be thrown into circuitwith or cut olf from the lamp at pleasure. Because of the influence ofheat and moisture upon various parts of the sockets in common use,tending to warp them out of position and to render their frequentrenewal necessary, it is found desirable to construct a socket in whichthe several parts shall be practically imperishable.

The objectof my present invention is to provide'a socket in which theparts shall be practically imperishable and in which the parts shall beso constructed and assembled as to render the cost of manufacture quitelow and to leave ample space Within the base portion of the socket forthe knotting or twisting of the wires and for their convenientattaohment to the binding-posts.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a View of the socket inlongitudinal section in the plane lengthwise of the key orcircuit-cl0ser shaft. Fig. 2 is a similar view in a plane transverse tosaid shaft. Fig. 3 is an endview at the base or end attached to thesupport, the supporting-base being removed. Fig. 4 is an opposite endview, the lamp being removed; and Fig. 5 is a view of the blank to formthe socket frame or casing and be properly insulated from each other bySerial No. 387,229. (No model.) i

1 thin sheets of mica or other substantially-imperishable insulatingmaterial.

A represents a cup-shaped support, which may either form a closure andfinish for the end of the socket to admit supporting-wires therethroughto connect with the bindingposts of the socket, as shown in Figs. 1 and2, or it may have its neck threaded, as is comvmon, for its attachmentto a gas-fixture pipe 6o or supporting-bracket.

The supporting frame or casing is of skeleton formation, its top B beingprovided upon opposite sides with projecting tongues or cars b, leavingspaces between them for the curved ends of a contact-piece to extendabove the top of the plate into position to engage a contact-piece inthe base of the lamp, as will be hereinafter more particularly referredto.

The opposite sides I) and b of the said skele- 7c ton frame extend atright angles to the top B and at their lower ends are provided withlaterally-extended pieces b and b, which are curved as shown in Figs. 1and 3, forming a broken annular base adapted to be received within themouth of the support A and to be secured therein by means of screws a,extending through the walls of the support A near its edge and intosuitable perforations formed in the curved portions 19 and b of theframe.

One of the sides of the frame, in the present instance the side b,.isprovided with an opening b of such size as to admit therethrough thecircuit closing and breaking shaft with the parts carried thereby formaking and breaking circuit and for holding the shaft in the desiredadjustment.

It will be observed that the skeleton frame or casing of the socket isso formed that it may be cut from a sheet of metal or other suitablematerial at a single blow and then pressed or bent into the desiredshape. Its appearance as a blank is clearly represented in Fig. 5.

An externally-screw-threaded nipple C, provided with alaterally-extending flange c at its base, is adapted to rest with itsbase upon the top B of the supporting-frame, being insulated therefromby a thin piece of insulat ing material 0' 1nica, for example. ple C isprovided with a bore 0 the wall of which is screw-threaded to registerwith the The nip- Ioo binding-screwD. The axis of the bore a within thenipple is intended to rest in alignment with the larger bore or openingI) in the top of the frame, so that when the binding-screw D is engagedwith the nipple to hold it in contact with the end of the frame, withthe insulating material between them, there will be a space between theexterior of the screw and the wall of the opening I). On theinner sideof the end B of the frame there is placed a layer E of insulatingmaterial provided with a suitable opening for the passage therethroughof the binding-screw D, and immediately in contact with the inner faceof the insulating layer E there is placed a contactpiece 6. Thecontact-piece eis preferably in the form of a flat plate of springmetal, two oppositely-extending tongues e e of which curve outwardlybetween the tongues 12 on the end B of the frame and extend suificientlyfaraway from the outer face of the end B to be brought into engagementwith a contact-piece in the base of the lamp. The plate 6 is alsoprovided with an inwardly-extending tongue or arm a which is adapted tooperate in connection with the circuit-closing piece upon the key orshaft to complete circuit. The plate 6 is provided with a centralopening 6 of greater diameter than the diameter of the binding-screw D,so as to leave a space between the screw D and the wall of the opening eOn the inner face of the plate ethere is laid another insulating layerF, preferably of mica, with an opening through it for the passage of thebinding-screw D, and in contact with the inner face of the insulatinglayer F there is placed a contact-plate f, having a spring-arm f, whichextends inwardly opposite the arm 6 and serves, in connection with thecircuit-closing piece upon the key or shaft, to complete the circuit.There is an opening f through the plate f of greater diameter than thediameter of the screw D, so that there will be a space between the screwD and the wall of the opening f Immediately in contact with the innerface of the plate f is a disk G, having at one side an inwardly-extendedarm forming one of the binding-posts, to which the end of a line-wire isto be secured. The disk Gis provided with an opening g therethrough,having a greater diameter than the diameter of the screw I), so as toleave a space between the Screw and the wall of the opening. Adjacent tothe in ner face of the disk G there is an insulating layer H, preferablyof mica, having an opening, through which the screw D extends, and inproximity to the inner face of the insulating layer II there is a diskIt, having at one side an inwardly-extending arm h, forming abinding-post and preferably located diametrically opposite thebindingpost g. The head of the screw D rests in engagement with theinner face of the disk h, so as to form electrical contact therewith. Inconnection with a the binding-posts g and h there are clampin ieces 2and it throu h which clam s 9 o D screws g and h extcnd into engagementwith the posts g and h. A very effective contact is made by this device,as the ends of the wires, being placed between the clampingpieces andthe posts, are firmly pressed between the two by means of theclampingscrews, and when consisting of bundles of small wires, as iscommon, the latter are spread out into close electrical contact with theposts and their clamps.

I represents the key or circuit closing and breaking shaft, provided atits outer end with a handle or thumb-piece t'. The handle t is hereshown as made separate from the shaft and. is preferably secured theretoso as to allow the shaft a limited movement independent of the handle,as is common. The handle may be formed of metal or of other suitablematerial, metal being in the present instance preferred. The shaft I isprovided near its end opposite the handle with a circuit closing andbreaking piece K, secured to the shaft and insulated therefrom by aninsulating layer 7a. The piece K is elongated, its opposite ends or'corners being preferably slightlyrounded,

and is located upon the shaft in position between the spring-arms f ande, sothat when turned in position to present its longest diametertransversely between the arms it will crowd them apart and bring itsends into electrical contact therewith, but when turned to bring itsshortest diameter transversely between the arms it will rest out ofcontact with them. The shaft I is also provided with a squared piece L,fixed thereon, which is intended to rest between a pair of spring-arms Zand Z, the latter having a normal pressure against the piece, so as tohold it, and hence the shaft, in position when turned, so as to presentthe opposite flat sides of the piece I, toward the spring-arms.

One end of the shaft I rests in suitable bearings in the side I] of theskeleton frame and the opposite end rests in suitable bearings in aplate M, which is provided with a thickened portion m, adapted to fitwithin and fill the opening I) in the side of the skeleton frame, andwith athinner portion m, adapted to lap over the outside of theportion 1) of the frame and receive therethrough a screw m for holdingit in position.

The base N of the lamp is provided with an internally-scrow-threadedsocket-piece '21, adapted to receive the nipple C of the socket,

and also with the circular plate a, adapted when the lamp is screwedonto the nipple O to engage the spring-arms e and e of the contact-platee.

One of the wires which form the electric circuit through the lampextends within the socket 72 into position to contact with the end ofthe binding-screw D, and the other is in electric contact with thecircular ring n.

An outside shell 0 is adapted at one end to receive the base of the lampand at its opposite end to surround the mouth of the support A. Theshell 0 is conveniently secured which secure the socket thereto.v l

The parts are assembled as follows: The

nipple, the several contact-plates, and binding-post disks, with thelayers of insulating material between them, having been placed inposition, the binding screw D is 4 inserted through them and screwedinto the nipple, firmly binding all the parts to the end B of theskeleton frame. The shaft I, withthe pieces K and L fixed thereon,isthen inserted through the opening 19 in the frame into position. Theplate M is then slipped over the end of the shaft into position andsecured by the screw m The handle 41 is then secured to the shaft, thewires attached to the binding-posts, the outer shell 0 placed inposition, and the socket and shell secured to the support A by thescrews a. The lamp may then be screwed onto the nipple 0 within the endof the outer casing O.

The electric circuit will be complete when the piece K is turned intoengagement with the contact-arms ft and e by passing from thebinding-post h to the screw D,thence to the wire in the lamp inengagement with the end of the screw, thence to the circular plate n inthe base of the lamp, thence to either one or-both of the branches e eof theplate e, thence to the arm e'', thence through the piece K tothe-arm f, thence tothe plate f,

thenceto the disk- G, and thence to the biud ing-post g, The circuit maybe broken by turning the key or shaft tothrow the piece K out ofengagement with the arms f and 6 It will be observed that the abovearrangement admits of forming the several parts entirely of metal andmica; that the parts are assembled in close proximity to the end of thesocket-frame toward the lamp, so as to leave the opposite end open forthe convenient twisting and knotting of the line-wires before attachingthem to the binding-posts, and that the several parts are so constructedthat they may be readily struck up from sheets of metal without theexpenditure of any considerable time and labor, while the screwdepended; upon for holding them in the proper relation to each other maybe made large and powerful, so as to efiectually prevent any liabilityof their displacement.

It is obvious that instead of the piece K be ing an electric conductorit might be formed wholly of insulating material and the arms f and e beconstructed. to rest normally in contact with each other when not heldapart by the insulating=piece K. The circuit would then be broken bypressing the arms apart by theinsulating-piece instead of by throwingthe contact-piece K out of engagement with them and would be simply areversal of what I have shown as my preferred form.

lVhat I claim as my invention isl. A socket for electric lamps,comprising a frame or casing, contact-plates for closing and breakingthe circuit, binding-posts for the attachment of the wires,-abinding-screw, and a key, the said contact-plates and bindingposts beingsecured to the end'of the socket frame or casing by the binding-screw,substantially as set forth.

2. In a lamp-socket, the combination, with the socket frame or casing,ahollow nipple located outside the end of the frame and insulatedtherefrom, and contact-plates located inside of the end of the frame andinsulated therefrom and from each other, of a bindingscrew extendingthrough the contact-plates and end of the frame into the nipple forbinding the several parts to the frame, and a key for making andbreaking circuit, substantially as set forth.

3. In a lamp-socket, the combination, with a socket frame or casingprovided with an opening in its side of greater dimensions than thecircuit-closing shaft or key, of a shaft having fixed thereto acircuitclosing and breaking piece and operating-pieces for holding the shaft inits adjustments, the said pieces upon the shaft being adapted to passthrough the opening in the side of the frame, a plate adapted tosurround the shaft and close the said opening in the side of thesocket-fram e, and contact-plates in position to be operated by thecircuit making and breaking piece upon the shaft or key, substantiallyas set forth. I

- 4. A blank for the skeleton frame or casing of a lamp-socket,comprisin g a central enlarged portion to form the end of the sooketframe, narrow portions extending in opposite directions from the centralportion to form the sides of the socket-frame, and piecesprojectinglaterally at the extreme ends of the blank to form the'brokenannular base or open end I of the socket, substantially as set forth.

LE ROY S. WHITE. Vitnesses:

A. O. MINTIE, CHAS. W. GILLETTE.

